Actuarial science applies mathematical and statistical skills to problems arising in applied subjects such as commerce, government, insurance and finance in general. This is an area suitable for those who enjoyed mathematics at A-level and enjoy solving practical problems. Graduates are likely to find employment in the banking, insurance and finance sectors. This course covers many of the mathematical topics also offered to our first year mathematics students. These include aspects of pure and applied mathematics, statistics and some general mathematics. Topics in statistics will be covered in more detail. Mathematics will be less prevalent later in the course, particularly in your third year. There, actuarial topics will form the bulk of the curriculum.

As a new course, we expect graduates of BSc Actuarial Science to become actuaries in a range of industries. Employers specifically value the key skills that students develop on our courses, such as problem solving, critical thinking, logical reasoning, IT and of course numeracy. Through tackling mathematical problems, you learn to communicate effectively, orally and in writing. Presentation and group-working skills are integrated in the specialist modules that are available. We also offer modules where you can use computing packages such as Matlab, Maple and R, and learn how to manipulate statistical data. In your final year, you can choose to undertake a project where you develop your research and time management skills.